


Simple Needs

by JJKMagic



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Slash, V is two days old, and has no idea how to ask for help, apart from when said help includes killing demons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 19:30:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18666901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JJKMagic/pseuds/JJKMagic
Summary: When V first walked through that door Dante had no idea what to make of him. There was just something off-putting about the tattooed mystery man, but Dante just couldn’t put his finger on what.Written for SpardaWeek Day 3.





	Simple Needs

**Author's Note:**

> Barely in time again but this time fully edited (not beta-ed though).  
> If you still catch any mistakes, feel free to point them out^^

There were few things that Dante considered himself skilled at, except for hunting demons and enjoying a nice slice of pizza. But, believe it or not, being a good judge of character was among these things, normally anyway.

But V, _hoo boy_. V was not an easy person to read, definitely no open book, despite the book constantly open in his hands.

In fact, Dante had yet to see him look up from said book even once. The moment the details of their contract had been determined, V had settled down, sitting silently on the sofa Morrison had occupied not too long ago. Dante had no idea what to make of that. It sure didn’t seem like V had plans to leave anytime soon.

Though he found it a little presumptuous that the man apparently considered the job a free ticket to stick around as well, Dante was the last person to call anyone out on their manners. He just leaned back and continued reading his magazine. As it turned out that was actually a lot easier with working lighting, so maybe V _did_ kind of deserve to enjoy what little Devil May Cry had to offer seeing as it was currently him paying the rent.

There was just something off-putting about the tattooed mystery man. Dante just couldn’t put his finger on _what._

V had informed him that it was likely days, if not weeks, until Vergil—Urizen—or whatever weird resurrection bullshit his brother was up to, would make its way into the human world, so there was little to do for now but wait. Fortunately that was another thing Dante was good at: sitting in his office and waiting for whatever world-threatening demon nonsense happened next. They sure were imaginative, but even that didn’t stop it from becoming tedious after a few decades.

Had he really been at this gig for that long already? Sheesh. He ought to consider his retirement one of these days.

 _Yeah, right._ But hey, even the son of the “Legendary Dark Knight Sparda” was allowed to dream, right? Too bad all these demons cared very little about _his_ _dreams_.

Dante sighed involuntary and, upon realizing that he had yet to read a single word, threw the magazine back onto the desk. He stretched briefly before looking over at the sofa. Yep, V was still there.

“So… you’re just planning to hang around here?”

V didn’t look up at question. He showed no visible sign of having heard Dante at all as he turned another page in his book.

“I have nowhere else to go,” he said in that smooth voice of his that betrayed no real emotion at all.

Huh.

There wasn't much Dante could say to that. He couldn’t even be sure if the man was serious or not in the first place, but Dante didn’t feel like inquiring further in case it was just another example of V’s weird sense of humor. Likewise V didn’t seem like he was about to add anything to that, so the room fell quiet again.

So much for that.

A glance at the only clock in the building told Dante that it was getting rather late. Maybe he ought to order some pizza soon.

As he was considering this his eyes strayed back to the man on the sofa. Dante couldn't help it, and trying to ignore it only made it worse. The man was beautiful, there was no denying that.

Dante had seen his fair share of beautiful people in his life. Usually he acknowledged that fact and went on, but something about V just… captivated him. Maybe it was just how little Dante knew about him. Maybe it was the air of mystery surrounding him that V seemed entirely uninterested in lifting himself, wearing it like a suit of armor instead.

That just happened to be the moment when Dante heard _it._ He might even have missed it had he not been looking at V and seen him react to it, too. The sound returned just a second later, and _louder_.

Yeah, no doubt about it. That was clearly the sound of a stomach grumbling unhappily about being ignored for too long, and it wasn't coming from Dante. If he hadn't been sure about that before, the way the tattooed man visibly tried to disappear behind his book would have tipped him off.

Okay… so maybe it wasn't a suit of armor, but more of a well-worn disguise.

“Hey,” Dante said to no one in particular even though it was obvious he was addressing the other man, “so I was thinking of ordering some pizza… I could order something extra... if needed.”

He left the offer hanging in the room until he heard V sigh softly, putting the book to the side.

“I wouldn't know what to get.”

Dante didn't even look before sending the takeout menu flying in an elegant arc across the room. V looked caught off guard for all but a second before catching it with surprising ease.

It wasn't a list of pizza options—Dante had his order memorized, after all—but rather the additional menu listing options such as burgers, wraps and salads that he kept around for when Lady or Trish or, God forbid, _Morrison_ complained about the lack of variety in Dante's diet. That was that as far as Dante was concerned, and he tried to get back to his magazine once more to give the man some time to decide.

Four minutes passed… then six, and Dante was forced to look up, curious about what could possibly take this long, but he was completely unprepared for the sight that greeted him.

V was staring at the menu, his face drawn into an expression of utter concentration, as if Dante had just handed him a book on astrophysics or in some foreign language, instead of a simple takeout menu.

_What the hell?_

“Can't decide?” he asked, feeling almost bad when V visibly startled at the question.

And just like that the moment was broken. V’s expression returned to its usual stoicism before he sent the menu flying back to Dante’s desk with impressive aim.

“I’ll just take the first option,” he said, returning to his book the next moment, but Dante couldn’t help but feel like the other man looked uncomfortable somehow.

With nothing else to do Dante picked up the receiver of his now working phone and placed the order: the usual and… a hamburger. Well, he wasn’t gonna judge.

After that the room fell awfully quiet again. Normally Dante didn’t mind, the shop was _always_ quiet, but with another presence around it suddenly turned uncomfortable.

Well, nothing Dante could do about it. Every attempt at starting a conversation had been stilted at best, so he settled back, making himself comfortable until the pizza arrived...

“... Dante… Dante!”

Dante startled awake, looking around disoriented for a moment before settling back down. Apparently he had gotten just a little _too_ comfortable. He looked over at V who had been calling his name.

The other man rolled his eyes, before presumably repeating what he had already said: “Your _order_ , Dante.”

Oh, right. Now he could hear the knocking, too.

Dante stretched for a moment before getting up and sauntering over to the door. He was faintly amused at how V seemed in no way inclined to open the door by himself any time soon. Maybe he just didn’t feel like paying for any more of Dante’s bills?

Dante took the ordered food from the boy at the door who stared at him wide-eyed for a moment when Dante actually _tipped_ him, too.

Dante merely grinned before going back in. He returned to his desk, but not before dropping off the noticeably smaller food carton in V’s lap. The man caught it before it could _actually_ land there, but didn’t bother to reprimand him.

With his job done Dante flung himself back into his chair, feet quickly propped up on the desk in front of him. He opened up his own box and grabbed a slice. Before he actually took a bite, though, he couldn’t help but glance over at V once more.

The tattooed man had opened his carton, at least, but was staring at its content as if it had personally offended him. Dante tried to suppress the snort that threatened to escape him at the sight, but wasn’t entirely successful.

V’s head snapped up at the sound, but he averted his eyes quickly when he became aware of his sudden audience. He picked up the burger with one hand, quickly switching to two when salad pieces started dropping everywhere, and then he just… stopped. He looked at the burger from all angles as if trying to determine where he was supposed to start.

Dante found himself honestly amused watching the man try to eat a burger as if the concept alone was foreign to him.

All he had wanted was to get the guy some food. Dante hadn't expected to get some entertainment out of it, too.

And the way V’s face _lit_ _up_ in surprise when he finally managed to take a bite, without the contents spilling everywhere, was just entirely unfair with how it made Dante's heart clench in his chest.

Was it even legal to be mysterious _and_ adorable at the same time?

Dante tried to ignore it. Instead he focused on the fact that this man had apparently never had a burger in his _life_ which was a goddamn crime. Dante was more of a pizza man himself, but still.

“You are one weird guy…”

“Excuse me?”

V looked up at him quizzically. More salad spilled from his burger while he was distracted.

Dante hadn’t actually _meant_ to say that out loud.

“Nothing,” he said, waving him off, “enjoy your burger.”

V blinked at him before looking down at his hands.

“I am.”

At that Dante could only stare harder at the other man. Apparently he was also surprisingly honest at times.

Maybe, just maybe, V’s confusion at seeing a list of fast food was also to blame for how _spindly_ the man was. V really looked like he could profit from a burger or two every now and then, especially seeing how he seemed to enjoy them, too.

By the time V had finished his burger Dante’s pizza had grown cold. It was also the moment Dante grew uncomfortably aware of the fact that he had just spent the entire time watching V while there had been perfectly fine pizza right in front of him, which _really_ should have been his priority.

Oh well. Thankfully pizza was always good, so Dante started devouring his with vigor.

When he glanced at his guest, _client_ he should say, it was obvious that V wasn’t nearly as interested in his company’s eating habits and had returned to his book instead. Figures. Dante wasn’t complaining, of course, though he might have been just the tiniest bit disappointed either way.

Once Dante was done he closed and dropped the carton to the floor where there was already a stack of old cartons awaiting their new companion. Maybe Dante ought to clean them up sometime, but he usually just didn’t bother.

A glance at the clock told him it was safe to say that it had turned night by now, so Dante settled back down in his chair and closed his eyes. He wondered if V would still be there when he opened them again. He couldn’t imagine that the tattooed man actually planned to stay here the whole time.

 

\- - -

 

Dante woke up again at some point during the night, which was usual for him.

The shop was quiet, as was the surrounding city, just how Dante liked it. It meant that everything was fine, and he wasn’t needed. But that was about to change, wasn’t it?

He opened his eyes to see that someone had bothered turning off the lights, and glanced to the sofa. His eyes widened in surprised disbelief.

He was actually _still_ there.

V had lain down at some point, his coat pulled up as far as it would go. Dante stood up and walked over there before he could even think about why he was doing it.

The tattooed man was curled up on his side facing towards the wall, and like this most of his tattoos were hidden from view making him look a lot more… vulnerable in a way. Dante leaned over him just far enough to catch a glimpse of V’s face, expecting—

Well, he didn’t know what he had expected, but it definitely wasn’t to see the man look so _uncomfortable_. Dante knew that the sofa wasn’t a _bed,_ but he could speak from personal experience when he said that it was perfectly fine for sleeping.

But then he noticed it: the soft shivers, tattooed hands clinging onto his coat as if it would offer more protection if they did.

_Damn it._

Dante’s demonic nature had his body running a lot hotter than that of a human, so he usually didn’t feel much of the cold. Summer was fast approaching these days, but he knew that the nights could still be rather chilly. Well, he hadn’t actually believed that V would just fucking stay here, but _still._

Dante fumed silently as he walked upstairs to get a blanket from his own bedroom, only to drag it back down and drape it over V’s shivering form. V’s body tensed as if startled before his hands grasped onto the material to pull it closer around himself. A soft sigh escaped him, expression visibly brightening, before V fell still once more.

Dante chuckled quietly at the sight.

Tomorrow he would just have to offer V to sleep upstairs, seeing as Dante wasn’t using the room anyway, but for now this would do just fine.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> If you liked, it leave a kudos or a comment. That would make my day^^  
> Or come yell at me on [tumblr](http://jjkmagic.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/JJKMagic) <3
> 
> Constructive criticism is always welcome!
> 
> Written for SpardaWeek on Twitter.


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